When woman work outside the home and share breadwinning duties, couples are more likely to stay together. In fact, the risk of divorce reduces by about half when a wife earns half the income and a husband does half the housework.
Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers that women face. Fear of not being liked. Fear of making the wrong choice. Fear of drawing negative attention. Fear of overreaching. Fear of being judged. Fear of failure. And the holy trinity of fear: the fear of being a bad mother/wife/daughter.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fear often holds women back from achieving their potential and embracing their true selves.
Sheryl Sandberg highlights the various fears that women encounter, which serve as obstacles in their personal and professional lives. These fears, ranging from the fear of judgment to the fear of failure, create significant barriers that prevent women from pursuing their ambitions and taking risks, especially in relation to societal expectations of being a good mother, wife, or daughter. Sandberg underscores the need to recognize and confront these fears to break free from these constraints.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a women's empowerment seminar discussing the challenges faced in the workplace.
More from Sheryl Sandberg
All quotes →We can each define ambition and progress for ourselves. The goal is to work toward a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents and interests.
Don't be afraid to ask the 'dumb' question, everyone else will be relieved you had the guts to ask!
In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.
Being confident and believing in your own self-worth is necessary to achieving your potential.
I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.
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